Doggie Day Care

[mer55]

Well, I decided that Mr Bogey could really use some puppy socialization, and I could use a little free time, so I thought I would look into Doggie Day Care one day a week only for a few hours.
So, I called a place right down the street from me. The gentleman was very nice, but when I said I only wanted Bogey to go for a couple of hours, he said I was "overprotective" and "needed to let go". His policy is that you drop the dog off at 8 am and pick him up at 5! Had a bad feeling, but decided to go investigate the place since it was so close to me.
Again, the man was very nice, but was completely dismissive of me and what training I had already done. He was insistent that bulldogs are "aggressive in nature" and needed to be "curtailed" as young pups. He totally disagreed with me about redirecting when he is puppy biting, and said I should immediately put him down and make him be submissive. Now, I know that is acceptable, but it is the WAY he said it. He hinted that if I wanted a "good bulldog" i should consider - ok, sit down for this one- LEAVING HIM THERE FOR 2 WEEKS SO HE COULD BE PROPERLY TRAINED!!! I kid you not. Nope, not for me!! Then he had the nerve to ask ME what I knew about the breed!! He went into the whole bull baiting thing and said that this behavior is inbred in them! Seriously?? I think he was trying to impress me with what he knew (OR DOESN"T KNOW) about the breed.
I politely thanked him, turned on my heels and walked out.
Definitely not for us.

On to another "interview" this afternoon!

 

[izstigspunks]

If that was his way of trying to impress then he needs a lesson! What a baffoon ... leaving your baby for two weeks!? ....

 

[anatess]

Like anything else, finding the right dog park/dog camp/dog trail etc., is an exercise in patience. I don't recommend leaving your dog at a doggie day care unless you have no other option (like if you have to go on a trip). If you need time away from the dog, you can just leave him at home in his crate for a few hours. If you need socialization, you can try to organize a neighborhood stroll with some other dog owners in your neighborhood or take him to a dog park (this can be a hit and miss too depending on the behavior of the other dog parents out there). At least with the dog park, you are there to supervise your dog so he doesn't learn bad habits or get in trouble.

This is, of course, just my opinion.

 

[bulldogs4me]

Doggie Day Care can be a super fun experience for Bogey it gives him a chance to play with other dogs in a supervised setting ... a good day care center has trained staff that will make sure all the dogs are safe and having fun! One thing to check when looking at the different places is if they have a "puppy play time" that can be a lot of fun and Bogey would be with other young pups ... great for socialization and just like his night out dancing he will be all tuckered out when he gets home and doing that once or twice a week for a couple hours would in my opinion be good for him, dogs are pack animals and need to spend time with other dogs ... in doggie day care you know all the dogs have their shots and that's a big concern at a dog park you don't have any idea if the dogs are current on shots and what type of diseases are lurking on the grounds!!

I'm still in shock over the first experience ... my chin seriously dropped! I would love to give that guy a few tips on what "overprotective" really means and also a 2 week training session for him, I'm sure I could teach him a few things!!!!

 

[LynnA]

Wow, I would have been horrified - what nerve. You're so right.....NEXT!

 

[Piamitch]

Yup, I woulda walked out too.

 

[anatess]

Doggie Day Care can be a super fun experience for Bogey it gives him a chance to play with other dogs in a supervised setting ... a good day care center has trained staff that will make sure all the dogs are safe and having fun! One thing to check when looking at the different places is if they have a "puppy play time" that can be a lot of fun and Bogey would be with other young pups ... great for socialization and just like his night out dancing he will be all tuckered out when he gets home and doing that once or twice a week for a couple hours would in my opinion be good for him, dogs are pack animals and need to spend time with other dogs ... in doggie day care you know all the dogs have their shots and that's a big concern at a dog park you don't have any idea if the dogs are current on shots and what type of diseases are lurking on the grounds!!

I'm still in shock over the first experience ... my chin seriously dropped! I would love to give that guy a few tips on what "overprotective" really means and also a 2 week training session for him, I'm sure I could teach him a few things!!!!

I agree with all this. Except for the dogs being pack animals. Yes, they are pack animals. You are the pack. The other dogs in the playground are not their pack and shouldn't be. Dog socialization is not so they build another pack. Dog socialization is so that they will learn proper behavior when faced with other dogs/animals not of their pack. As I don't trust anybody else teaching my dogs this, that's why I don't use doggy day care places. But you are right about dog parks having sick dogs. The dog park in my area is a "membership" thing - same requirements as the doggy day care. But even then, there are days when I have to take my dogs home as the dogs in the park have "absent parents".

 

[bulldogs4me]

I agree with all this. Except for the dogs being pack animals. Yes, they are pack animals. You are the pack. The other dogs in the playground are not their pack and shouldn't be.

What I said was "dogs are pack animals and need to spend time with other dogs" I did not say or imply that dog park dogs should be their pack, I don't like dog parks for the mere fact you don't know the dogs or their health or owners and at least in a doggie day care they are healthy & socialized dogs to interact with.

 

[Izzy's Mom]

That's horrible I feel blessed for finding Izzy a daycare that matches our style. I didn't agree with the places that spray water on the dogs, I know a lot of people use this technique here but I didn't want strangers doing that to my baby. The place that she goes is for small dogs only, maybe you can find a similar place around where you live.

 

[anatess]

What I said was "dogs are pack animals and need to spend time with other dogs" I did not say or imply that dog park dogs should be their pack, I don't like dog parks for the mere fact you don't know the dogs or their health or owners and at least in a doggie day care they are healthy & socialized dogs to interact with.

They don't really need to spend time with other dogs. It's not a requirement. The only reason they would need to is so that they can learn how to interact with them, then you can take them out on walks and they won't go ape crazy when they see another dog. But, a dog can spend his entire lifetime without seeing any other dog and he would be just as happy... as long as he has a very tight pack even if it's all a bunch of humans.

Depends on the doggy day care and depends on the dog park. The membership dogpark is the same thing as the doggy day care. The only difference is - the parents are present when the dogs are socializing and not just trainers. The doggy day care can also have bad dogs. The advantage with the membership park is that every dog has a parent whereas in doggy day cares, you may have 10 dogs for 1 trainer. The advantage of the doggy day care is that if you find one with a good trainer, he will know what to do when the dogs don't behave. Of course, there are doggy day cares who don't have good trainers and misbehaved dogs get stuck in the kennel the entire time. So, really, the main difference is - you are there to take your dog when things don't go the way you want it to.

 

[Hstead]

I think sometimes people see Bulldog and know what they cost and then think dollar signs.

 

[JeannieCO]

Oh wow you did much better than I would have. He had a lot of gull actually. Sure it may not have been necessarily what he said, but how he said it. It was quite demeaning and a put down of your own intelligence of the breed (weather one's knowledgeable or not), that was not the place for him to be doing that (again in the tone you said he said it). I do not like dog parks at all but I do like doggy day care. I've never taken my guys nor probably never will but I do like them as they're supervision. Did he own the place? If not I'd be contacting the owners.

 

[ajwhitt44]

I've had my bulldog at Doggie Daycare since he was 6.5months old (he's 10 months now).

The place I go to is one that I trust dearly. They have a VERY strict interview process and do not allow any food-aggressive dogs, or dogs that are aggressive in general. Their staff is extremely knowledgable and quick to correct dogs that are misbehaving.

Some methods they use for correction are timeouts in the crates, or a quick squirt of some water in the face. Because they only let in non-aggressive dogs, it allows all the dogs to learn proper behavior from eachother with the help of the staff to enforce corrections. My dog ALWAYS wants to play, and will sometimes run and bark at other dogs who won't play with him. Well instead of submitting him until he whimpers, they just place him in the crate for a couple minutes until he lays down, and then he can resume play.

I cannot stress the importance of "proper" socialization enough. I HATE bringing my dogs around my friends dogs because those dogs AREN't socialized, practice a PACK mentality, and are ALL food/treat aggressive. I know my dog helps them to learn better behavior, but if I let him spend too much time with them, HE will start to adopt THEIR behavior. It's like the saying, "you are who you hang out with". Dogs will pick up cues and traits from whoever they are around, so it's important to have other dogs that are calm, relaxed, and non-aggressive.

Best of luck with your search and I do hope you find a place to your liking. Mine is quite expensive, but I couldn't be happier.

 

[mer55]

Yep, I hear all of you! I don't have any "puppy playmates" in my neighborhood. Two poodles, both scared to death of him, and 2 bishon's who are old and just don't play anymore! I checked out one of the pet parks here in Sarasota. No thanks. Dirty, grungy and not a place I want Bogey. There is a beach dog park that I want to try, but we have red tide right now and I am not exposing him to any of that!

My thought was to bring him only once a week for 3 hours max. The next place I went was so totally different! The lady owner was a charming woman who owns 13 (yes I counted them) minature dachunds (sp?). They lined up against the fence in her yard barking of course, but as soon as she did one quick "shhhhsh", they all shut up! Couldn't believe it!
She has a large kennel facility with each smaller kennel having either a view of the lake, or a garden, a doggie door to go outside and beautiful property. I could stay there!
She absolutely fell in love with Bogey, as did her husband who quickly chimed in that Bogey was "his"! They are British and have an unbelievable love of dogs! The Kennel was clean, and cheery. There is a room for puppy playtime and she will socialize Bogey with dogs his size to begin with, although he picked out this HUGE dog to go up to the kennel and sniff!! He will be there for only 3 hours, one of which will be play time, then lunch, nap and then a walk on the property (6 acres). I will be doing this once a week. The other reason for this is that in the fall, I have to fly to Ct twice, both short trips, but Bogey cannot go with me. This way he will have a "home" away from home- something he is used to. I have a feeling the man of the house will be bringing Bogey in with them!!
So, our trial run is Friday! I think he's going to love it there!!

 

[bulldogs4me]

[MENTION=7064]mer55[/MENTION] - sounds like a nice place, can't wait to hear how Bogey does